I had the pleasure of seeing Bill Nye speak last night at Western with my son. It was gratifying to see a scientist treated like a rock star in a sold out hall of more than 2000 people – mostly Western students. People lined up hours to get the best seats, and there was a standing ovation when he walked on stage. The twitter hashtag #BillNyeWestern was trending nationally before it even started.

Between his talk and questions, he spoke for about 2 ½ hours on various topics including sundials, his involvement with the Mars Curiosity Rover, global warming, nanotechnology, renewable energy, nuclear energy, and deflecting asteroids.

His basic message was the importance of science and how important it is for people to be science literate. Through science we can continue to learn how to do more with less. Through science we can know our spot in the universe, and by knowing our spot in the universe, we can help change the world.

And in case you wonder what this has to do with Slaw – he mentioned how important it is to have scientifically literate lawyers to help faciliate the advancement of science and technology.